“We had everything, just not much of it…You know, we found a cupboard downstairs that I didn’t even know was there. It was like finding treasure in my own house…I feel pretty good about it.”

David couldn’t help but let out a small laugh to the captain of the ship with what she just said!

Taking up the bag, seeing how they just put everything in there, David frowned…

Some herbs shouldn’t be just put with others and…What a mess…

“What?” She asked, almost pouting. “It’s not good enough for you?”

David put the bag aside immediately and put a handout to her and pushed her towards him. “Thank you.”

Erin put her chin up and didn’t say anything.

“Greedy.” David stated, smiling at her.

“Am not!” She said back.

“You, my dear, is greedy!” David said, tapping her nose with his finger.

“Fine…Then give me some sugar!” She stated, coming closer to him.

 

Their relationship had grown, just in these few days, and they had become as close as a couple could. New experiences for them both had only strengthened their bond and they can’t remember ever feeling happier in their lives.

Erin giggled to stopping him from kissing her, being the tease that she was and so David made her sit on top of him and brought her closer.

He had never gotten used to not feeling his legs, but he did deal with it as best as he could. On occasion he grumbled, which Erin didn’t like, so David tried hard to be as positive as possible. He didn’t know her past very much, only tid bits, but he was sure that being any kind of angry was just going to push her away from him. So…He really had to grow up!

Showing his anger was like a trait of his! He did it without even thinking mostly! It was like a child having a tantrum!

But now, because he didn’t want to give this woman nightmares, he felt like his anger problem was something that had to be dealt with!

 

It wasn’t like he was angry all the time, it was more like he just had to grow up and accept more things than usual. David grumbled when he didn’t get his way, but never actually stopped grumbling when knowing he wouldn’t get his way. But now, with things that he knew was out of his control, he stopped himself from grumbling often, simply because even he himself wanted to grow up. It was the other part of his anger that was the problem…And that was something that he already told Erin that he was working on.

Actually, Erin had come to know that David’s friend, who married the Princess, was called Cid, and that Cid was into jewellery crafting.

She didn’t quite understand how a man was doing jewellery but, perhaps it was a new world? As…She was female and a pirate after all too…

The fact that Cid did jewellery crafting also reminded her of a rumor that she knew had been started before she had become the captain. It was that earrings helped stopped someone from getting sea sickness. Granted, some of her crew members had their ears pierced, having done it ages ago, but they knew now that it didn’t work…It’s just funny when they see someone talk about it from another ship…And when they might find earrings elsewhere on a boat…Just another thing David learnt from her...

 

Erin also told him how she had gotten away from the person that she had been sold too as well.

At the time of her being sold, she had not taken a potion like David but still she doesn’t know that David is actually poisoned. Instead, Erin had been more malnourished and had low self-esteem.

If her so called husband at the time hadn’t sold her, she may still have low self-esteem, but what he had done was magic! She suddenly had an epiphany, where she was either going to get busy living…Or get busy dying…So, she choose to live!

With the renewed want to live her life, Erin fought her way out of where she was as a slave and told that she was then running away from the law. She became a wanted woman because she ran away from the person that had bought her…

So, she became a pirate!

At the time that she was telling David this story, she snuggled closer to him and touched his beard, “The captain of the pirates didn’t like me.”

David was hooked around her little finger, “You were probably prettier than him.”

Erin giggled and said, “I was!”

 

Actually, Erin fit the pirate life pretty well. She didn’t mind taking stuff from people who were bad. She also had hated having been sold to someone who lived in Melya, so she had stolen from a few ships that came from there. That country was terrible anyway, she had thought.

Erin may have been doing something that wasn’t entirely acceptable to many, but she was right about one thing. Melya was already known as a declining country, not due to the land’s riches, but due to the monarch and some nobles in it. They were being ruled over by an old lady who put their princess into a secluded place. The princess was known as ‘Medusa’, simply because she seemed to be known to do cruel things to people. Slavery seemed to be a much bigger thing in Melya too, but the biggest thing was the taxes. At first, the taxes rose for the king and queen who left to find their son, but they just kept going up and up, which have only made Melya a divided country of different people…The rich…And the poor…

 

Nonetheless, Erin did her share of bad deeds that got her to be somewhat known in the seas. There were pirates elsewhere, but they hardly came here, which meant that at that moment, in these waters that were close to Melya and Commorda, Erin was the main pirate…

David, having been the prince’s confident, couldn’t help but worry about Erin’s misdeeds to a point. He wanted her to be who she was but at the same time, he didn’t want her to be that bad that he’d not be able to ever bring her to her see his friends. She wasn’t wanted yet in Commorda, she was just known of, and he hoped it would stay that way!

“Will you be good for me?” He had asked yesterday.

“Why?” She asked nonchalantly.

“So we can be together…” David asked, starting to blush.

“…If I’m not good?” Erin asked.

David stared at her and then looked away. He didn’t want her to be who she wasn’t, but at the same time, he couldn’t be with her if she was being naughty by killing and pillaging…

“David.”

 

David had looked at her and smiled for a short second. “How about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Erin asked moving her head to her other shoulder…A naked shoulder…

David licked his lips and blinked, focusing once again. “I’ll work on my temper if you can work on not killing anyone.”

Erin shrugged, “Ok. I don’t kill very often anyway. We know that if we kill too many, many people will come after us. We have fun and steal, but we also can’t do that if we are wanted by others so much, they get in the way.”

David but his head into her bosom and shook it, “Woman!”

“Man!”

David could only kiss her, unable to know of their future in the slightest!

…He just had to fall in love with a bloody pirate!

 

***

 

David took what he hoped to be the antidote to his poisoned legs and put the extra stuff away to the side.

He had another antidote, but that was it. The materials just didn’t last beyond that but lucky he hadn’t needed them too.

He had been lucky that pirates sometimes looted books, beyond other things, and he had found a book with what he needed. He hoped, beyond hope, that he wasn’t too late and that he hadn’t lost the feeling in his legs forever. He couldn’t wait to show his woman his full potential! He couldn’t wait to walk out there, on that deck, just like she does every day without him!

It had been a secret that he had not told her, simply because if this doesn’t even work, then what would be the point?

Erin doesn’t need to know that her so called husband had poisoned him. She doesn’t need to hold in more anger and pain like that. He wished so whole heartedly that she moves on and not think of him ever again!

David wanted to kill him with his own hands, never wanting to kill someone like this ever in his life!

 

He saw how sometimes she still flinched, he had even seen her have a nightmare once! She might not ever forget what he had done to her!

Clinching his fist, he just couldn’t bear to give her just another thing that she might be angry at that nasty captain with because that still meant she thought about him!

Yep, he’d fallen, he fell so hard that he was still trying to understand it all!

From the first time that he had seen her, and still today, he was head over heels for this pirate! A pirate! Oh, Elton is ganna love this!

Actually, David put a hand to his head and shook it, he probably was ganna love this, no pun intended whatsoever!

 

Elton always wanted to get strange things into his collections. Like that of thieves and assassins and the black market. They were all little trophies that he wanted to obtain for himself, and David sometimes felt like Elton really might do it one day!

That, well he was a King now, that king was a very unique king, that was for sure!

Again, he found himself wondering what his old friends were doing. He heard that the new King was married now, and David had missed both of his friends’ weddings. That betrayer thief must be his queen! She has even won Mahjong…No! David didn’t want to accept it! She must have won through bad means! That prince would have cheated somehow! Yes, it probably would have been won by Cid or himself, not by her, who had never played before!

His memories, even though he was a bit angry over them, were still special. In fact, that had been the last time that they all had been together…

 

Yet, he couldn’t regret leaving, even now, he just didn’t like that he missed an important event is all.

“Hello…”

David looked at the hand swinging in his face and looked up at a gorgeous face, one that he woke up to now every day. “Hey.”

“You didn’t hear me…Are you thinking of a girl?” Erin narrowed her eyes at him, “You can’t, I forbid it!”

David laughed and could only dote on her, “No, I wasn’t! You have nothing to fear.”

Erin sighed and sat next to him, on the edge of the bed. “If you break my trust in you, I might kill you!”

David put a hand to her face, to make her look at him, “Honey, I’m looking at leaving everyone I know, just to be with you!”

“…You’re stupid.” Erin easily said.

David dropped his hand and put it through his hair instead, “Yeah.”

 

In the next second he was hugged tightly by her, her lips on his, her sitting on him and her hair cascaded down over their faces.

With no restraint, David held her to him and kissed her right back.

When they parted, Erin looked at him meaningfully, “It’s ok that you’re stupid.”

David smirked, “Good.”

“…I’ll be good…” She said quietly.

David knew exactly what she was talking about…He put his forehead to hers and said, “What if they tell you to stop being the captain?”

Erin shrugged. “Then they are stupid too.”

 

David could only laugh, “I’m starting to think that soon the whole world will be stupid to you.”

Erin nodded, “Only me is not stupid.”

What is in her head!?

“So full of yourself, honey!”

“I can get away with it!” Erin stated, laughing herself.

David put his hands over her, unable to help himself, and said into her neck, “Fine, you win! Whatever you are trying to say, you win!”

“Haha! Hey, I’m looking into getting some birds.”

David pulled back to hear her turn somewhat serious. “Birds?”

“Yeah, they are small and exotic! Easy to sell!”

David thought about it for a moment and found it to be quite a good idea, “You might even be able to tame a bird, you know, like have it so that it’ll…”
“Bite people!” Erin stated happily.

“No!” David said, tapping her nose. “I mean people might pay more for a bird that doesn’t fly away. Or whatever.”

 

Erin winked at him, thinking that he understood her already. “Exactly.”

David narrowed his eyes at her, “You sound like you are the one with the idea of taming a bird!”

Erin slapped him lightly on the cheek, “I already thought of that before talking to you about it.”

David frowned to her small slap and held his cheek, pouting at her.

“I didn’t hit you hard, want me too?”

David stopped pouting…

Sometimes she came across as a bit of an idiot who didn’t think, but probably most of the time, it was all for show. He wouldn’t be surprised if she thought of taming the birds beforehand, it’s just…She can be such a mystery sometimes!

It wasn’t a mystery, pirates on this ship at least, play with people. Since they don’t care as much as the ‘land dwellers’, less things get to them and so they get used to playing with words and people. They call it fun but the ‘land dwellers’ don’t like it at all!

Just as he thought that of how mysterious she was, he suddenly found that he could move some of his toes…

Going silent, and not moving, David breathed out heavily and bowed his head…Thank god!

He really might walk again soon!

Thank god!

“David?”

Erin felt like there was something wrong.

 

David smiled at her, putting a piece of her hair behind her ear. He was still happily stunned to such good news at this moment.

“Something wrong?” Erin asked again.

Shaking his head, David said, “At the moment, I feel like everything is fine…I’m happy.”

Neither of them had stated their intimate feelings to one another…This had been the closest thing to saying anything…And Erin couldn’t stop a smile from showing as she suddenly went shy. “Me too.”

In no time, David pushed her into him and went to start becoming even more intimate, only to be interrupted with a knock on the door…

“Captain, I think something’s changed…”

Erin sighed, “You said that last time.”

“I mean it this time…” The first mate stated in a hurry.

“What is it?” Erin sighed, falling into David’s chest.

“They…They…”

Both David and Erin frowned to the first mate stuttering and looked at the door.

“Spit it out!” Erin yelled.

“It’s just that, we didn’t understand because they’d never done something like this before, so we…”

Erin fixed her clothes back up and then pulled down David’s shirt.

 

“Ah, so this is where you’ve been hiding.”

Startled to not only the door being opened but to the familiar voice, both David and Erin looked at the merchant captain.

“What a naughty girl you are!” In an instant, Erin was slapped, and she even fell off the other side of the bed, not having been ready at all!

David went to look around, to see what he could do but there were no swords or knifes close by. At the same time, he had watched Erin fall over her feet like nothing and so nothing was achieved in a short amount of time to help each other from the unannounced visitor!

“You’re coming with me!” The merchant captain stated, pulling on David, then he turned to Erin, who was getting up, glaring at him in anger, “I’ll tend to you later, my wife!”

The merchant captain quickly picked up David better, over his shoulder and walked with haste to the side of the boat and just threw David overboard.

 

David couldn’t quite still feel his legs yet and really had no idea what to do, even now, as he started to sink.

He was then pulled up by someone who was in a small boat next to the pirate ship.

“Give him back, Ulrich!” Erin yelled, now coming out of the captains’ quarters.

“Haha, don’t worry, I’ll warm your bed later!” The merchant captain stated, as he continued to go down the side ladder.

“David!” Erin yelled, now looking over the side of the boat.

David turned his wet head and smiled warmly at her, before he was forced to look in another direction, he winked.

Frowning, Erin wondered why David seemed to be ok…But it did help her get out of her phase as she turned to her crew.

“What are ya all doing!? We’re going after that boat, now get to work!”

 

Erin watched as most of them got to work but a few stared at her in contempt.

“What? Done with pirating are ya?”

“Done with you!” They stated as they started walking towards her.

“I’m not…In a good mood!” Erin stated, not even waiting for them to get to her as she walked to one of them and pulled at his shirt. Being unprepared, the man was suddenly turning towards another, and they collided together.

Erin hit the bum of one and then pulled the ears of another, “If you’re done with me, then get off my ship!”

With no regard to what they thought, she pulled more at the ears, to the side of the ship and then pushed him off!

“If we weren’t in such a hurry, I woulda left ya on an island!” She yelled at the man who fell into the water.

Turning back to the other two, they pushed the floor, to try and get away from her and Erin squatted before them. “Now, tell me, what’s your problem!?”

 

They shook their heads, “Nothing, nothing captain!”

Erin raised her eyebrows, “Oh? Nothing?”

They again shook their heads, “Nothing!”

“Yes, there’s a problem!” She yelled out at them, scaring them!

“No, captain there’s no problem at all, no problem!” One of them stated, the other nodding along.

“You…Aren’t…Working!” She stated, now standing up and pointing at them, “You want to go for a swim?”

They finally understood and before she could grab onto another one, they both got up and ran around, hoping to find something or someone to give them some work!

Suddenly, they felt extremely lucky that the captain was busy right now! If there was no one to chase after, they’d probably be detained and then left on an island!

They both shivered just thinking about it!

Having thought that they would be able to get one woman, with three of them, they had completely been overwhelmed and could only feel embarrassed!

No wonder she was the captain…